Imagine stopping at an RV park, only to discover it’s poorly maintained, there’s loud highway noise, and the sites are crowded. But later you learn that a quick online search would have pulled up the hundreds of poor reviews from other campers, advising to stay at another better campground right down the road.
A little research can go a long way. The best free resource for trip planning is RV LIFE Campgrounds (formerly RV Park Reviews). This website has a massive database with over 17,500 campgrounds in North America, including the US (with Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico), Canada, and Mexico.
RV LIFE Campgrounds features a large, clickable map, along with campgrounds sorted by state/province.
At the top, you can visit the Community Forum where there are open discussions about the RV lifestyle, destinations, etc.
You can also search campgrounds at the top, and on the right, find where to register and log-in to submit your own reviews. Signing up is free and only requires an e-mail address and username/password.
You can click on a state to browse campgrounds by city or find parks that are popular or highly rated.
Each RV park/campground has its own profile with a quick overview and reviews from other campers.
The need-to-know info is at the very top including their address, phone number, number of sites, and a link to their website.
On the right, you can also find the park’s location pinpointed on an interactive Google Map. More details are below the address and map. Click “Show All” and you can figure out key factors like:
- Whether or not they have pull-through sites
- If they’re big-rig friendly or pet-friendly
- If they have restrooms or showers
- If tent camping is allowed
- What hookups are available
- What type of amenities are offered
- Recreation facilities that are available (gym, beach access, walking trail, etc)
- If they have laundry facilities or a dump station
Below the overview, you can read reviews from other campers.
In the right column, you can also find other RV parks nearby and the “Top Tips” for this campground. These are helpful for learning about places to visit while you’re in the area.
Leaving your own review is easy and super helpful for other campers.
To add a review, select “Submit Review” at the very top of the page next to Forum. You can also click the “Add Review” button underneath the campground’s overview address and website button.
The review form has an organized layout. You can list the date of stay, what you camped in (motorhome, travel trailer, etc), and the nightly rate you paid. If showers and restrooms were available, you can select whether or not they were clean during your visit.
You can then give the park an overall rating, more specific ratings on value, service, and cleanliness, as well as type in comments about the whole experience.
Further below, you can describe more details about your campsite.
Here you can check off small (but important) details like: Was there a lot of space between campsites? How about shade from the sun? Did your site have a fire ring or picnic table? What was the site surface like?
You can also select if power and sewer were available, if tow vehicle parking was convenient, and whether or not the interior roads were easy to navigate. At the bottom, before completing your review, you can also add in additional tips like shops and restaurants within the local area.
If you took any photos during your stay, you can upload those to RV LIFE Campgrounds as well.
Campers are encouraged to upload photos, and campground owners may upload official photos as well. They help give other RVers a better idea of the view and what the park is like.
To upload your own pictures, look for the “Upload Photos” button in each campground’s overview, next to “Add Review.” There’s also an “Upload Photos” button in the right column above the other nearby campgrounds.
You can view campgrounds, leave your own reviews and more at CampgroundReviews.com.
